Dec. 18 (UPI) — More than 3 million people have signed a petition as of Friday supporting clemency for a man sentenced to 110 years in prison for a truck crash that killed four people in Colorado.
Rogel Aguilera-Mederos was sentenced Monday to 100 years in prison after being convicted of more than two dozen charges, including vehicular manslaughter, first-degree assault with extreme indifference and attempted first-degree assault with extreme indifference for the 2019 crash.
Judge A. Bruce Jones said in court that he wouldn’t have issued the effective life sentence had he not been forced by state law to make Aguilera-Mederos serve the prison terms consecutively.
“In all victim impact statements I read, I did not glean from them someone saying, ‘He should be in prison for the rest of his life, and he should never, ever get out,” Jones said during Monday’s hearing. “Far from it. There was forgiveness reflected in those statements, but also a desire that he be punished and serve time in prison, and I share those sentiments.”
Others agreed.
A Change.org petition is calling for Colorado Gov. Jared Polis to grant Aguilera-Mederos clemency or commute his sentence to time served.
“He’s passed all of the drug and alcohol tests that were given, including a chemical test. This accident was not intentional, nor was it a criminal act on the driver’s part,” the petition says.
Aguilera-Mederos told investigators the truck’s brakes went out and he couldn’t do anything to prevent the crash on Interstate 70 in Lakewood, Colo., just west of Denver.
When his truck slammed into stopped traffic on the interstate, it caused a large fire and instantaneously killed four people — Doyle Harrison, William Bailey, Miguel Angel Lamas Arellano and Stanley Politano.
Aguilera-Mederos asked for forgiveness before the sentencing and said the crash wasn’t intentional.
“I hope to say sorry, sorry for the loss, sorry for the people in here, I know they hurt,” he said. “I know they have trauma, I know. I feel that. But please, don’t be angry with me, please.”
